Boris Becker has given his first interview since leaving jail in the United Kingdom and being deported again to Germany previous this week, telling German audience: “In prison I was a nobody.”
The former Wimbledon champion, showing slimmed down and carrying a brand new hair style and color, informed the broadcaster Sat 1 that as an inmate he was once no longer referred to as through his first identify, and “no one gave a shit” about his champion standing.
But he stated he had used his 231 days in jail to mirror on his lifestyles, and had rediscovered the “mensch” or human aspect to himself.
In excerpts revealed within the tabloid Bild, the tennis legend, who was once jailed in April for 2 and a part years for concealing £2.5m of belongings to steer clear of paying money owed after he were declared bankrupt, stated the meals in Wandsworth jail in London, the place he had spent the primary weeks, was once dangerous and the parts too small, whilst recreational actions had been few and some distance between. He additionally stated there were numerous violence.
The interview is to be broadcast this night over two and 1 / 4 hours from 8.15pm native time (1915 GMT).
Becker, 55, wearing a black jacket and black T-shirt, stated: “In prison you are a nobody. You are only a number. Mine was A2923EV. I wasn’t called Boris, I was a number. And nobody gives a shit who you are.
Becker was transferred from Wandsworth to Huntercombe prison near Nuffield, Oxfordshire, in May.
Bild’s reporter said he cut a humble figure, who had changed his hair color and lost weight. He described him as surprisingly composed.
“I believe I rediscovered the human in me, the person I once was,” he told interviewer Steven Gätjen. “I’ve learned a hard lesson. A very expensive one. A very painful one. But the whole thing has taught me something very important and worthwhile. And some things happen for a good reason.
Asked about his excitement to be finally leaving the prison and coming home last Thursday, Becker said: “From six o’clock that morning I sat on the edge of my bed, and hoped that the cell door would open. They came to get me at 7.30am, unlocked the door and asked: ‘Are you ready?’ I said: ‘Let’s go!’ I had already packed everything beforehand.
While in Huntercombe, which is low-security and used to detain criminals from abroad before their deportation, Becker was reported by Bild to have trained regularly in the prison gym and to have worked as an assistant alongside the prison coach, helping with other inmates’ fitness and psychology, drawing on his experience as a former world No 1 tennis champion.
Becker’s son continues to be residing in the United Kingdom. But below the phrases of his unencumber as a non-British citizen, Becker himself has been banned from visiting the rustic for the following decade.